My dad likes to browse the internet for cool things he knows I’ll like. He saw this post about David Walker and it reminded him of what I wrote about a few weeks ago. But David Walker blows everything out of the water. This guy is seriously talented.

Unfortunately, I can’t share his images without written permission, so just hop on over here and take a quick look at some of his art. You won’t be sorry you did. I’ll wait.

Yeah, told you it was good, didn’t I?

I think the article on Colossal by Christopher Jobson says it best:

Without aid of stencils or brushes London-based artist David Walker creates elaborately explosive portraits using directly applied spray paint. Even as the colors drip and mix on large outdoor walls it’s hard to imagine the level of control and detail the artist must possess to create the shadows, lines, and textures that create each piece.

What I love about Walker’s art is that it’s entirely realistic, and yet it is just bursting with color. It seems so contradictory, so unnatural, but you look at the eyes and the lips and the images just feel so real. Even better, he’s taken something that could have been viewed negatively – spray paint and street art – and turned it into something that beautifies the street rather than defaces it.

That’s what art should always strive to do – contradict itself, be beautiful, be thought-provoking, be mesmerizing, challenge pre-conceived notions. It should seem like it shouldn’t work, and yet it just does. We don’t know how and we don’t know why. It’s like magic, and who are we to deny the simple wonder that it creates within us?